The present invention concerns the field of machine tools.
As known, a machine tool is a machine designed to transform the shape and size of objects of any material, by selectively removing extra material in various forms, through tools. Machine tools generally allow only a limited number of machining operations on the item to be machined, according to the limited number of tools they can dispose of, and as a result, a complex item requiring various mechanical operations needs to be conveyed from one machine tool to the next one in order to be machined as required.
Therefore, production lines may provide for different machine tools placed side by side, each dedicated to a specific machining operation, such as turning, milling, boring etc.
If different machine tools are provided, this involves both a remarkable bulk and the necessity to have conveying devices outside the machine tools, at least between a machine and the next one.
Therefore, conveying the item to be machined requires that the machine tools and the various devices to convey items are coordinated, thereby causing the complexity of planning the machining cycles to increase.
In order to try to reduce the number of machine tools for the production line it is known, for example, to provide machine tools equipped with multi-tools, for example equipped with a rotating block mounted on a fixed head and with a plurality of tools selected among rotating tools and other machining tools and radially supported on the rotating block.
When the rotating block is rotated around its axis, one of the supported tools (for example, a rotating tool) is brought to the machining position.
On the contrary, the patent application of
However, the Applicant observed that the type of machines illustrated above can perform a limited number of machining operations, whereby workshops and/or current production lines require different machines, thus resulting in large bulks and often complex movement systems to move items between a machine tool and the next one.
The Applicant further observed that it is known to arrange robots, for example of anthropomorphous type, for moving the items to be machined between a machine tool and the next one.
However the Applicant noticed that, by providing a robot for moving the item, although the production cycle is automated, on the other hand the bulk problem is not solved but rather increased together with that of simplicity and coordination of the production line. The Applicant also noticed that, in any case, even with the robots the item movement between a machine and the next one still requires quite some time.
Documents
The Applicant observed that in
The movement member does not move between a machine axially-outer edge and the other one, whereby other devices outside the machine for loading and unloading the items to be machined are still necessary.
The Applicant observed that in
Furthermore, the tool store is outside the machining assembly and is only able to translate, thereby causing structural complexity and reducing the tool-change speed. Even in this case, the movement member does not move between a machine axially-outer edge and the other one, so that other devices outside the machine for loading and unloading the items to be machined are still necessary.
The Applicant found that the above stated problems can be solved by a machine tool in which the movement device for the movement between a machine and the next one is integrated in the machine tool itself and uses the working axes of the machine tool.
Therefore, a first aspect of the invention relates to a machine tool comprising:
In the scope of the present invention with:
In the above said aspect, the present invention can have at least one of the preferred characteristics hereinafter described.
Advantageously, the first axially outer edge and a second axially outer edge are the two axially outermost points of the machine tool.
Preferably, said at least one first movement axis of a translationally moving item is coincident with a machine working axis.
Conveniently, said at least one second axis of rotational movement is coincident with a machine working axis.
Preferably, said at least one machining assembly is adapted to move along at least one third machine working axis.
Advantageously, the movement member comprises
Preferably, the movement member comprises at least one first supporting slide to support said at least one arm, the slide being adapted to slide along said at least one track.
Conveniently, the movement member comprises at least one second track substantially extending perpendicularly to said first track and at least one second slide sliding along said second track.
Conveniently, the movement member comprises a supporting plate to support said at least one arm; said at least one second track extending along said supporting plate and said at least one second slide being integral with said first supporting slide.
Advantageously, the travel of the second slide on said second track identifies a third movement axis Y-Y of a translationally moving item.
Preferably, the movement member comprises a wrist element rotatingly mounted so as to rotate around said second movement axis of a rotationally moving item; said wrist element is interposed between said at least one arm and said at least one item restraining element so as to move said restraining element away from said second movement axis of a rotationally moving item.
Advantageously, said at least one machining assembly comprises at least one turret comprising:
Preferably, said at least one machining assembly comprises at least two turrets placed side by side.
Conveniently, said two turrets placed side by side are arranged at a distance shorter than 5 cm.
Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more evident from the detailed description of some preferred, but not exclusive, embodiments of a machine tool according to the present invention.
This description will be presented hereinafter by referring to the attached drawings, provided for illustration purposes only and without limitation, in which:
Referring to
The machine 100 has at least one turret comprising:
The machining assembly 3 and/or the item movement member 15 are adapted to move along at least three first controlled machine working axes.
Preferably, in the embodiment depicted in
Controlled working or machining axis, or simply working axis of the machine or of a machining assembly thereof or a member thereof, mean a given movement of the machine or its machining assembly or its member measured by an encoder and controlled by at least one computer through at least one motor, so as to allow the machine or its machining assembly or its member to be precisely positioned at an arbitrary point of the available travel so that the item to be machined interacts with the tool of the machining assembly for the machining of the item itself. Controlled item movement axis, or more simply item movement axis means a given movement of the movement member, or a part thereof, measured by an encoder and controlled by at least one computer through at least one motor, so that the item to be machined can be accurately positioned at an arbitrary point of the available travel of the movement member or part thereof.
The item movement member 15 is integrated in the machine tool 100 and comprises at least one first movement axis X-X of a translationally moving item to translate the item to be machined from a first axially outer edge 2a to the remaining second axially outer edge 2b, and vice versa, at least one second movement axis Y-Y, in figure, to rotate the item to be machined around the aforesaid axis and a third axis G-G, preferably orthogonal to the previous ones, to rotate the item to be machined around said third axis G-G.
As will be described in more detail hereinafter, in the embodiment shown in the figures, the machine tool 100 comprises five controlled machining axes two of which are coincident with the item movement axes.
In other words, with the tool machine 100 according to the present invention, an item movement device outside the machine is no more required.
In fact, the movement member 15 actuates the movement along the axes X-X and/or Y-Y and/or G-G both for machining the item 40 together with the machining assembly 3 and for moving the item 40 as it enters and exits the machine.
Therefore, the movement member 15 can move the item either between suitable stores adjacent thereto but outside the machine, or between a machine according to the present invention and a second machine according to present invention placed side by side with the first one.
The Applicant found that it is possible to eliminate a movement device, outside the machine, to move an item to be machined because the movement of the item 40 as it enters and exits the machine or between a machine and the next one, is made by the controlled working axes of the machine itself.
In the embodiment shown in
The electrospindles are electromechanical components designed for drilling, milling, spot-facing, tapping, cutting, boring, grinding and turning operations.
The electrospindle extends around, and slides along, a vertical axis, the latter identifying a first controlled working axis W-W of the machine.
The electrospindle comprises a motor, a rotating shaft for the transmission of the motion relating to the motor and an engaging portion adapted to couple with at least one toolholder 23 having a rotating tool 24 mounted thereto.
The rotating tool 24 is engaged through the toolholder to the electrospindle and is rotationally driven directly by the rotating shaft of the latter.
Each toolholder 23 extends along a vertical axis.
The rotating drum 22 is rotatingly mounted so as to rotate in order to align each toolholder 23 with the engaging portion of the electrospindle.
It should be understood that the machining assembly may be constituted by a multi-tool spindle or another tool for machining the item, such as a mill or a drill, without departing from the protection scope of the present invention.
The machining assembly 3 is arranged vertically above the movement member 15.
Advantageously, in the embodiment shown in figures, the machine tool has two turrets placed side by side, hereafter a single turret will be described in detail, being understood that what stated applies to both turrets.
The turret 3 is designed so that at least one rotating tool 24 can be mounted thereto and can be rotationally driven in order to allow the machining of an item by the machine tool 100.
The electrospindles are electromechanical components designed for drilling, milling, spot-facing, tapping, cutting, boring, grinding and turning operations.
As previously mentioned, the rotary drum 22 is rotatingly mounted so as to rotate around the controlled working axis K-K in order to align a toolholder 23, and thus its tool 24, with the engaging portion of the electrospindle arranged inside the turret body 21.
Therefore, a tool locking device of a toolholder 23 is housed in the conical seat of the engagement portion 6, in order to clamp and rotate the tool holder 23 through the electrospindle, and as a result the rotating tool 24 with the electrospindle.
The tool locking device allows the rotating shaft of the electrospindle to engage the tool 24 through the toolholder 23.
In other words, no mechanical transmission unit is interposed between the rotating shaft and the toolholder 23.
The spindle can translate in vertical direction with respect to the turret body 21 and the rotating drum 22, that is to say along a vertical direction identified by the axis Z-Z of the electrospindle itself.
In detail, the electrospindle can translate in vertical direction, along the controlled working axis Z-Z with respect to the rotary drum 22, between a working position, in which the tool 24 clamped by the electrospindle through the toolholder 23 works on a mechanical item, and a tool changing position in which the electrospindle is lifted so as not to interfere inside the turret body 21 with the rotating drum 22, the latter being therefore free to rotate to bring a toolholder 23, and thus a tool 24, to a position so as to be coupled with the rotating shaft.
The rotating shaft is directly coupled with the toolholder 23, i.e. without interposing transmissions.
For this purpose, the electrospindle has a translation assembly comprising a pneumatic cylinder, not shown, adapted to vertically translate the electrospindle.
As an alternative, a hydraulic cylinder could be provided without departing from the protection scope of the present invention.
The rotary drum 22 comprises a plurality of fastening elements to fasten the toolholders to the drum 22 itself and a plurality of locking devices to lock the toolholders 23.
The turret 3 for machine tool according to the present invention is adapted to perform different operations by inserting, in the locking device, the tool holder 23 with the most suitable tool 24, the latter being selected by the rotary drum 22 rotatably mounted with respect to the fixed body 21 and the electrospindle.
Between an operation and the next one, in order to change the tool the following steps are carried out.
The toolholder 23 is released from the engaging portion of the electrospindle.
The electrospindle is lifted.
Then, the rotating drum 22 is rotated to align with the engaging portion of the electrospindle a second toolholder 23 holding a second tool 24 to be used in machining.
Thus, in order to clamp the second tool 24, the electrospindle is lowered until the engaging portion to engage the tool holder 23 is inserted, so that the tool locking device may lock the toolholder 23.
The turret 3 according to the present invention is in the shown working position and the tool 24 can carry out its machining after which, if an additional machining is required, the above described process will be repeated.
By means of the item movement member 15, the item can also be moved from the first turret 3 (in
The movement member 15, better described below, is integrated in the machine and allows the movement of the item to be machined between a turret 3 and the other one 3', as well as the picking up from a tool store 30 of an item to be machined 40 bringing it at the first turret 3 and/or the second turret 3' and then, once the machining operations of the item 40 are all completed, to a next item store 30' placed axially outward with respect to the axially outer edge 2b.
In the embodiment shown, the item movement member 15 comprises an arm 5 extending along an axis y-y orthogonal to the rotation axis K-K of the rotating drums and a track 6 whose way defines the first movement axis of a translationally moving item.
The track 6 extends between a first axially outer edge 2a of the machine and the remaining second axially outer edge 2b. Therefore, the first item movement axis X-X is parallel to the rotation axis of the rotary drums.
The arm 5 is adapted to translate along the track 6 between a first axially outer edge 2a of the machine and the remaining second edge 2b.
The item movement member 15 comprises a restraining element to restrain an item mounted so as to rotate around a second item movement axis.
In particular, the second item movement axis Y-Y identifies the rotating movement of the item, shown by the arrows F in figure.
The movement member 15, in order to slide along the track 6, has a first supporting slide 8 engaged to the track 6 and sliding thereon.
The item movement member 15 further comprises a second track 9 substantially extending perpendicular to the fist track 6 along the direction of the second item movement axis Y-Y and at least one second slide 10 sliding along the second track 9. The travel of the second slide 10 on said second track 9 identifies a third movement axis Y-Y of a translationally moving item.
The second track 9 extends along the supporting plate 11, which in turn supports the arm 5.
The second slide 10 is integral with the first supporting slide 8, the movement of the first supporting slide 8 along the track 6 causes the arm 5 to slide along the track 6 between the first axially outer edge 2a of the machine and the remaining second axially outer edge 2b.
As shown in figures, the movement member 15 comprises a wrist element 12 rotatingly mounted so as to rotate around said second movement axis Y-Y of a rotationally moving item.
The wrist element 12 is interposed between the arm 5 and the item restraining element 7 so as to move said restraining element 7 away from the second movement axis Y-Y of a rotationally moving item.
The wrist element 12 is also shaped so that, while grasping the item, when the movement member is positioned at the first axially outer edge of the machine 100, the restraining element and thus the grasped item are axially outside the first axially outer edge of the machine 100.
The wrist rotates around the second movement axis Y-Y of a rotationally moving item in order to bring the item from a first item grasping configuration, shown for example in
In detail, as shown in
The wrist element is rotated so that once the item 40 is grasped, it is positioned along a straight line parallel to the first movement axis of translationally moving item.
In
The track 6 of the first machine and second machine are joined so as to form a single track.
In this way the item, after having been machined by the turrets 3 and 3' of the first machine, can move to the second machine, simply due to the respective item movement members that are integrated.
To move the item from the first to the second machine is not necessary to provide a movement device outside the machines, such as an anthropomorphous robot or another movement device, as the movement members moved with the same controlled axes of the machine also allow the item to be moved between a machine and the next one.
Therefore, the present invention allows a reduction of the time required for moving the item to be machined from a machine to the next one, compared to the time provided by the known art in which the item is moved between the first and the second machine by an anthropomorphous robot outside the machines.
Although in
The machines arranged side by side are joined only by the track without further coupling means.
The present invention has been described referring to some embodiments. Various modifications may be made to the embodiments herein described in detail, being still within the protection scope of the invention, defined by the following claims.
This list of references cited by the applicant is for the reader's convenience only. It does not form part of the European patent document. Even though great care has been taken in compiling the references, errors or omissions cannot be excluded and the EPO disclaims all liability in this regard.